


Even Avengers go to Therapy

by britestariknight



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 18:07:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21360457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/britestariknight/pseuds/britestariknight
Summary: What can one man, with nothing but a bow and arrow do that people with actual superpowers can't???
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Even Avengers go to Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic. I hope you like it! Thanks for reading!!

Three years ago, when Fury assigned me to watch over the Tesseract experiments, I thought it was just another normal day. Sitting up in my perch, I thought that after the events in New Mexico that nothing could surprise me. I suppose I jinxed myself there.

When Loki appeared, my life changed in ways I wish it hadn’t. Losing control of my own mind and actions was at first, freeing because my inner turmoil was gone. Suddenly, the questions stopped and answers appeared before I could even ask the questions.

Then Nat brought me back and it was like a haze was lifted. The world returned to full focus just in time to be hit with the realization of what I had done. I had stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D., the very organization that gave an ex-con like me a fresh start. On top of that, I had attacked my best friend. I put everything I had into that fight, and if she hadn’t gotten through to me, I would have killed her. How could I ever forgive myself and move forward from here? Whoever thought I’d get that answer from a poster boy like Captain America?

Beating Loki was the first step in repaying my debt. It took a lot of strength to hold my arrow back when he was 3 feet in front of me, but I realized if I killed him out of anger or revenge, then I would be no better than the man he made me be. I need to prove to myself that I am not that man and I will never be that man again.

When we got word that they found Loki’s scepter in the hands of Hydra, I didn’t have to think twice before grabbing my bow and getting on that Quinjet. This was my chance to prevent anyone else from going through that hell.

When we got back to Avengers Tower, I was so relieved to know that the nightmare was finally over. That scepter won’t hurt anyone again, and I was a big part of making that happen. I was more than happy to celebrate with my friends. Of course, a freaking super bot had to crash the party…

Truthfully, I can’t blame Tony for trying to replace us with Ultron. He wanted to protect the world, and there are only so many Avengers, so it wasn’t a sustainable situation. Leave it to his arrogance to create a super bot that wants to “destroy us to protect us”...

After Ultron got the Vibranium and Wanda bewitched everyone, we were broken. I don’t know what any of them saw, but by the time we got to the farm, no one was talking. I’m pretty sure I could actually hear the music from Bruce’s headphones in the cargo bay.

The comforts of home were nice. Home-cooked food, fresh clothes, familiar surroundings, loving faces; it was everything anyone could ask for, and yet very little was about to cut through the depression that weighed the air down.

Seeing Cap rip that log with his bare hands started to put things into perspective for me. If a super solider with that kind of strength was defeated by Ultron, just like I was, and a God was, and a rage monster was, and everyone was; what possible value does a regular guy with a freakin’ bow and arrow add?? Tony can fire missiles, and bullets, and lasers, Thor and throw lighting, and Hulk can throw everything else. Do the Avengers even need me? Is it time to hang up my quiver and let more qualified people deal with the super bots because I clearly am not equipped to deal with this.

I went to go tell my wife, Laura, that I was going to quit the Avengers and come home. I knew she’d be excited, and probably relieved, but when I saw her, I realized that I can’t hang up my quiver. Not yet. I might not be super strong, or super-rich, or super smart, and I certainly don’t have an insane weapon or anything, but what I do have is the willpower and drive to stand up for others. That is what it really means to be an Avenger. Avengers stand up against all odds and fight for what’s right, and that’s why I left my family and joined my friends in the fight in Sokovia.


End file.
